Pallet Rainbow
by sakuraholmes
Summary: Ash has returned home, and is ready for a well earned rest. An old resisdent of Pallet has returned, but is Ash disapointed
1. Chapter 1

**Pallet Rainbow**

**Chapter 1: The Homecoming**

**From the top of the hill he could see all of the town, the houses, the little market place, and the famous laboratory with it's signature windmill. Pallet Town never changed, and he liked that, it was familiar, safe, home! Ash Ketchum breathed in the fresh familiar air. " Well Pikachu here we go!" He cheerfully said to his little yellow pokemon which was seated on his right shoulder. "Pika!" It replied. Ash bounded down the hill, excited he was almost home.**

"**Locked?!" Ash stood before his front door, only to find that he couldn't get in, he hadn't taken his key with him on his journey, didn't want to lose it now did he? "Mom must be at the Professor's place!" He concluded. So he set out for the short walk to the laboratory across the bridge and to the top of a small hill. Even as he approached he could hear the sounds of many **

**different Pokemon playing together happily in the sunshine, the sound lifted his heart and without even realising it, the sounds spurred him into a run. He ran to the fence and stood on the bottom post so he was raised off the floor. "Hi everyone!!" He called to the playing pokemon, some squealed in delight, some smaller one's seemed confused, they were new additions so didn't recognise the strange boy on the fence. "And hello to you too Ash" Ash knew that voice straight away, he turned to face the young man who had spoken to him, the young man with green hair, red headband and a friendly smile. "Tracey!! It's good to see you!" Ash proclaimed. "You too buddy" Tracey beamed back. "Come on I just finished my rounds, let's go inside." Tracey set off for the lab, Ash closely followed. **

**People closely scrutinized her, a stranger in town, bruised and carrying a small bundle. They did not interact with her, just let her walk on by. It's not that the girl seemed scary or threatening, just that it was obvious that she needed no help, she had a purpose and sometimes it's best just to leave a person to it. So the people of Pallet subconsciously did so, she wasn't a bother to them, leave her to her business. The girl was heading towards the laboratory of the world renowned Professor Oak, what they didn't know was that she knew him very well, and wasn't as much of a stranger than they thought.**

**As they got inside Ash was met with the onslaught of female embraces. "Ash! I'm so happy to see you! You've grown since last time, I hope you've been changing 'you know what' every day" Of course this was his mother Delia Ketchum. "Oh Delia he's so handsome, just like his father, but he has your smile. Oh Ashy what a young man your turning out to be!" This came from the other lady to embrace Ash, it took him a few moments to gather his thoughts and realise who this lady was. She was in fact Maggie Sullivan, an old friend of his parents, Ash guessed that she had come to visit to the professor and his mother. Ash heard Tracey stifle a laugh at his current situation, he saw an opportunity for revenge. " Mom I'm so happy to be home, and to see you again Miss Maggie, but I can't have all this attention to myself. Tracey is turning out to be a fine young man don't you think?" Both ladies squealed and bounded towards Tracey and he was engulfed in the deadly hug. He deduced that Ash was fully aware of how the ladies acted around each other, and the fact that they got overly sentimental when it came to the young people in their lives. Tracey shot a glare in Ash's direction, who just raised his eyebrows in amusement, clearly despite his age, his mental age hadn't changed. "Well why don't we have lunch and Ash can regale us his latest adventure" The professor had chirped in at the perfect time. Over sandwiches, cakes and berries galore, Ash told his companions of his journey with the breeder Brock, a very good friend of both him and Tracey. Of how he won countless battles and despair of yet another Brock seeing pretty girl meltdown. Of the pokemon they saw and people they met, and of a very interesting battle with a girl he knew all too well, the Cerulean City Gym leader Misty. Towards the end of their journey, she had paid them a visit while taking a break from the gym. The battle had been the most intense the two had ever had, Ash had won, but just barely. Misty had improved a great amount, and changed in herself, she was more mature, and captivating. Of course Ash didn't share the last part with any one, although Tracey suspected the latter, it was obvious in the way Ash described her. But being the good friend he was, he would not about to embarrass his friend, Tracey was sure that Ash was still confused about his new found feelings. " I'm so proud of you Ash, you've matured so much on this journey. Why do you have to grow up so quickly?" Delia mused. " So where is Brock now Ash?" The professor asked. " He said he wanted to pay a visit to his family and then he'll make his way here in a few days." They all chattered happily for some time. The professor hailed the ladies with his latest poems, while Ash described the pokemon he had encountered to Tracey. It was about an hour later when there was a knock at the door, Tracey stood up from his seat. " I'll get it Professor." " Thank you Tracey." He made his way to the door, and opened it to a girl around his age. Her face was bruised and muddy, her hair matted with mud also. In her arms was a small trembling bundle wrapped in a used to be pink blanket. She looked him right in the eyes, half smiled and said. " You know I could murder a hot drink right about now!"**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Daughter of Aiden Heart

Tracey could only stare at the girl at the door, the comment had caught him completely off guard considering her condition. The girl stared back for a moment, when she realised she wasn't going to get a response, she proceeded to poke him, when he continued to stare she decided to speak again. " You know that's a sort of a hint for you to invite me in,… Hello!?" Tracey snapped himself out of his shock. " I'm sorry, it's just…..are you alright?" "Huh? Oh this." Realising he was commenting on her appearance. " It's just a little bruising, I fell in the rainfall last night, but I haven't had the time to stop. I needed to reach here as soon a possible, for this little one's sake." She pulled back the blanket to reveal a tiny Pichu, clearly only a few days old, the tip of it's right ear was torn and half of it's tail missing. Though sleeping it trembled from fear and shock. Tracey's heart broke to see such a tiny thing in such a terrible state. " By all means, come in." He stood aside to let the girl in and led her to the room where the others sat. Upon them entering it was clear to Tracey, that despite their shock, every one else in the room recognised the girl right away, and simultaneously they proclaimed " SAKURA!!??" Silence fell in the room, due to just pure shock, until the girl, Sakura spoke up. "Professor, I know this is sudden and short notice, but this Pichu needs your help." Professor Oak stepped forward with the understanding that any explanation of the girl suddenly appearing would have to wait until the Pichu was in a stable state, and it seemed she was in good need of a bath. Taking the Pichu from her, he and Tracey went off to treat it. Delia and Maggie took Sakura upstairs for a bath, while Ash left alone, could barely contain his excitement that Sakura Heart, the Daughter of Aiden Heart, one of the best trainers Pallet Town ever produced and best friend of his Father, had suddenly come home.

Pleased that the Pichu was stable the Professor and Tracey made their way to the living room where they had previously been. As they entered they found that the two ladies had just returned with Sakura, who was now clean and eating happily and sipping the hot drink she had comically requested earlier. Tracey now observed her features better, she was rather short, despite being the same age as Tracey, it was clear that Ash would soon tower above her. Her brown hair came to her shoulders and was layered, she had friendly blue eyes and a warm smile, though she wasn't what some would call stunning, she had no model like features that many young men would fawn and fall over, but there was something cute and quite pretty about her. But what he found most captivating about her was that even though it was obvious she had been through a small ordeal, she was not phased by any of it, that the food and hot drink just simply made things right again. She heard them enter and let them sit before asking about the Pichu. "She'll be just fine, she's resting right now." "She?" Ash questioned. " Well yes my boy, examining closely does usually reveal a pokemon's gender." The boy blushed in embarrassment. " But now what we are most curious about is why you're suddenly here my dear, not that we are not happy to see you of course." Tracey stared in confusion at the Professor, Oak saw his expression. " Tracey, I'm so sorry, in all the confusion before, we haven't explained anything to you, Sakura here is the daughter of one of our finest pokemon trainers from Pallet, Aiden Heart. He has been friends with Maggie, Delia and Ash's father, Joseph since they were very small. He married a local girl Poppy, Sakura's mother, but she sadly disappeared when Sakura was young. When Sakura became of age to be a Trainer, he requested the use of a pokemon he had just started to raise for her, and shortly after left Pallet. Of course we have stayed in touch and been updated on Sakura as she has grown, I do believe that his school for young trainer's is still proving to be a success, am I right Sakura?" She smiled at the Professor. " Yes professor, though some of the students could give him a run for his money." She chuckled. " Any way, my turn for explanations, I was originally coming to Pallet for a surprise visit, with not being here since I was ten, I was eager to see the town and old friends again. When I got to Viridian Forest, it was then I came across the Pichu, I think it may have been abandoned by it's colony." She sighed sadly. " I would guess that being the runt of the litter, she probably wasn't expected to survive, but thanks to you, this doesn't seem to be the case. You provided the right amount of heat and comfort to keep her fighting, especially during that storm last night, that surely been the end of her otherwise." This brought the girl some relief and she smiled. "Well!" Maggie proclaimed. "We need to celebrate your's and Ash's homecoming, Delia, we should prepare a good dinner for everyone." "Yes, that's a wonderful idea Maggie, we should get started." Ash jumped to his feet also " Before you do Mom, I have to know, with Aiden being your father, you must have awesome experience behind you Sakura. So what path have you taken, Trainer?"

"Well no!"

"Ah maybe you'd be a co-ordinator?!"

"Um…no"

"I know, you must have decided to follow your Dad's footsteps and teach young trainers…how cool!!"

" Ash, you've got it all wrong I'm not any of those."

" What then….it must be pretty special….."

" I'm a singer!"

Ash went pale and silent, no one in the room spoke, they just stared at Ash's obvious stunned reaction, however the silence was broken with the ever faithful….

"Pika??"


End file.
